


A Flame to lead Her Home

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: NaMi [3]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Bullying, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fairy Tail Children, Family, Fear, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Protectiveness, Takeover Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16510997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Mira is still struggling to accept her Take-over magic, second-guessing her decision to remain in Fairy Tail despite her siblings support. However, when she is attacked for being a demon she finds a defender who might just be the light she needs to find her way back to being the Mira she was before.





	A Flame to lead Her Home

   Mira sighed as she hurried up the street, carefully pulling her cloak tight around herself as she fixed her gaze on the towering form of Fairy Tail in the distance and she felt her lips twitching upwards at the sight of it. Life had significantly improved since they’d first fled to Magnolia and been invited to join Fairy Tail, and slowly she had begun to open up, surrounded by a guild that didn’t care that even now she still bore the arm of a demon and bolstered by her sibling's support. And yet, that acceptance was not always forthcoming beyond the sanctuary of Fairy Tail, although for the most part, Magnolia tended to follow the guild’s example.

   Still, there had been several occasions where she had come up against fearful people in the town who had managed to catch a glimpse of her arm. Then the whispers, the fear…the threats would begin, and every time it happened, she found herself flashing back to how the villagers had reacted. It was easier to take here though, knowing that the guild was there for, and after Lisanna and Elfman's’ determination to learn their own forms of magic so that she wouldn’t be on her own, but it still hurt her deeply no matter how much she tried to stop it from getting to her.

   She was so lost in her contemplation of the changes that had occurred, that she was caught unaware when someone slammed heavily into from the side. Crying out in a mixture of alarm and pain she found herself being shoved roughly into an alleyway, gritting her teeth as her assailant slammed her up against the wall, showing little remorse when her head collided sharply with the wall. For a moment her vision blurred, and when she finally managed to blink it clear, she tensed realising that she was surrounded by a group of teens and she swallowed hard as she tried desperately to mask her fear.

   Logically she knew that she was powerful enough to escape because while she hadn’t mastered transforming yet, she had learned how to fight using her magic. However, she knew these boys, having come up against them more than once in the last couple of weeks and she knew that they didn’t have a single spark of magic between them. Even if it hadn’t been one of the rules within the guild, she knew that she would never have allowed herself to lash out against people without magic even though that placed her at a disadvantage. The last couple of occasions she had managed to escape through pure luck, but there was an edge to their expressions this time that told her that they no intention of letting her get away this time and she felt her knees threatening to buckle at that realisation.

_Someone help me…_

**

   Natsu scowled and muttered under his breath as he headed back towards the guild, tugging halfheartedly at the fresh bandage wrapped around his wrist. He’d been out chasing yet another rumour that he had hoped might lead him to Igneel, but had instead led him directly into a nest of Vulcans and it was only pure luck that had gotten him out of there with only minor injuries. It didn’t help that he knew that Gray at least would tease him about this latest failure, and his hands clenched into fists at that thought. For the most part, he could hold his own against the Ice mage, and he relished their bickering, but there were times when it became too much.

   Sighing he glanced up at the Guild building, his expression softening slightly as he studied the place that had gradually become home. At first, he had been unsure about allowing himself to settle, the memory of Igneel’s disappearance too close to the surface for him to trust that this new ‘family’ wouldn’t do the same. A suspicion not helped by the disbelief that he had encountered when he spoke about his foster-father and the magic he had learnt from him, and at one point he had seriously been considering leaving and continuing his search on his own. However, slowly, and with Gramps help the rest of the guild had come to see the truth of his words and bit by bit he had allowed himself to open up to them until the thought of leaving was the furthest from his mind.

   A fond smile tugged at his lips, and he picked up his pace, he could even deal with whatever Gray was going to throw in his direction with those thoughts buoying him, and he was keen to get home to see his friends…his family.

   He had just burst into a run when his sharp ears picked up on a low cry, and at once he froze, all humour draining from his face as his gaze darted around the street searching for the source. Another call drew his attention to one of the small side-alleys, and his eyes narrowed even as he moved in that direction. There had been something familiar about the voice crying out, and even if there hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have been able to ignore it, even though he could hear Erza’s stern voice in the back of his mind telling him that he should learn to stop charging into situations.

   Entering the alley, he froze for a brief moment as he took in the scene a dozen feet ahead of him, his eyes widening as he registered the flash of familiar white hair as Mira was flung backwards. Her sharp cry as she hit the ground hard broke his paralysis, and there was an angry growl on his lips as he charged forwards realising that her tormentors were closing in on her. In that matter that they outnumbered him or that they were much bigger because the world seemed to have narrowed down to the crumpled form on the ground, and all he could focus on was the fact that he needed to protect her.

**

   Mira was sniffling, struggling not to let her tears flow despite the pain she was in and the fear coursing through her body, and bracing herself for the next attack as she sensed the boy that had just knocked her to the ground approaching her once more. Before he could reach her thought there was the sound of running feet and a low almost feral growl that sent a shiver down her back.

“Leave her alone!” A loud voice snarled a second and her head shot up in alarm, only to blink as a familiar figure sprang between her and her tormentors and for a moment all she could do was gape in stunned surprise. _What was he doing? Why was he getting involved with this?_ A strange warmth blossomed in her chest at his next words, and she felt tears slipping down her cheeks despite her best attempts at holding them back. “Get the hell away from her!” Flames flared briefly in the air around them, and for a moment she shrank back instinctively from the heat, before realising that he was encouraging the boys to keep their distance although she knew it wouldn’t take long for them to recover from the shock of his appearance.

“Natsu…” She began before trailing off, unsure of what she wanted to say. Or off what she could say and instead she shook her head helplessly before drawing her cloak tighter around herself like a shield still not daring to trust that he was really there to help.

“Are you okay?” Natsu asked softly turning slightly so that he could look at her without taking his eyes off the boys, and she hesitantly raised her head as she caught the note of concern in his voice, blinking as she met his gaze. She knew from watching him around the guild that he was like an open book, and as she stared at him, she realised that there was nothing but honest concern in his expression. He was doing this because he wanted to, not because he felt he needed to or because someone had put him up to it, and she felt something shift in her chest.

“It’s Natsu…” One of the boys was muttering, and her eyes flickered to him, noting the familiarity but also the fear that had accompanied Natsu’s name and she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of run in’s they’d had before. It was clear from the way he was with Gray that he enjoyed fighting, but as far as she could tell there was always some kind of provocation and she couldn’t help but be curious as to what these boys had done in the past.

“So?” The ringleader demanded dismissively, glowering at the one who’d spoken and she was unsurprised when the other boy shrank back nervously. Clearly, even his own ‘friends’ feared to become a target. Seemingly satisfied by the submission he turned back to look at Natsu, and Mira tensed as she realised that they were looking at Natsu in the exact same way they had looked at her arm and despite herself, she felt her fist clenching at her side even as he spoke again. “He’s just as big a freak as she is.”

“Still looking for your gecko?” Another called out mockingly, and Mira’s eyes narrowed at the taunt, and she didn’t miss the small flinch that went through Natsu. She might have mainly held herself apart since joining the Guild, but she knew about Natsu’s never-ending search for the Dragon he claimed to have been raised by. She wasn’t sure that she believed that, but still she found herself wanting to defend him even though she couldn’t find the words to speak up with.

“Igneel is a Dragon, not a Gecko!” Natsu snarled furiously, the taunt needling him more than usual after his latest failed search and flames sparked around his wrists before he could stop them. He knew that he couldn’t use his magic against them no matter how tempting it was, and he bit his lip as he tried to calm himself.

“Natsu…”

“It’s okay,” Natsu straightened, the fear and concern he could hear in Mira’s voice the final push that he needed to rein his magic in and the flames disappeared even as he took a threatening step towards their opponents. “You should never have laid a hand on her! I’ll never forgive you for that!” He growled, knowing that it was unlikely the first time that these teens had come after her as he had caught the hint of recognition in her eyes when she looked up at them. He hated the thought that she had, had to deal with this herself up until now, and he had every intention of making sure it was the last time.

“Is she your girlfriend?” The ring-leader taunted as the teens regrouped, and Mira paled as she realised that they were beginning to close in on them and she huddled closer to the wall, drawing her cloak even closer. She hated the fact that she was having to rely on Natsu, but at that moment she wasn’t sure that she could’ve moved even if she tried.

_I’ve had enough. I don’t want to keep being a target, but there’s nothing I can do…I…_

“No,” Natsu snapped fighting the urge to blush at the implication, but then his eyes narrowed as he caught the smirk forming on the ringleaders face, and his voice rang out strongly as he added. “She’s more than that, she’s family.” Back when Erza had explained that everyone in the guild was family, he hadn’t really grasped what she meant, but as he had grown closer to everyone he had come to realise that he would defend every last one of them. Even those he didn’t get on with, and while he might not know Mira as well as he knew her siblings, all that mattered was that she was part of Fairy Tail, part of his family.

 _Family?_ Mira blinked as the strong words broke through her rambling thoughts, staring up at Natsu’s back with an awed expression. _He considers me family? Even though I…_ She let out a choked sob, tears trickling down her cheeks and she was vaguely aware of Natsu flinching at the sound, but even as she opened her mouth to try and apologise he was moving, and she was left to watch in stunned silence as he charged at the teens.

   There was no hint of fear or concern on his face as he squared up to the teens, no sign that he realised that he should be at a disadvantage because of his size and the fact that he wasn’t using his magic. Without hesitation, he made use of his smaller size and swiftness to avoid attacks, his own fists in constant motion and Mira could only gape as she watched him down them one after the other. _Just how strong is he?_ She wondered, wincing as a lucky blow caught him in the cheek, and he was rammed back into the wall with a shout. She was struggling to force herself to her feet, but he was already back on his feet and charging once more with his teeth bared in a fierce grin, and despite the situation, that grin rallied her spirits.

_Win this Natsu…_

**

   The fight hadn’t lasted long, and while Natsu hadn’t escaped entirely unscathed, he had managed to avoid the more severe attacks and was now stood glancing around at the downed teens. None of them was seriously injured, apart from their pride, although it was clear that they weren’t planning on moving anytime soon. At some point, Mira’s tears had stopped, and she was watching Natsu with confusion as he dropped down beside his opponents with a concerned expression on his face.

“Aren’t you going to get into trouble?” Mira asked quietly as she watched Natsu checking over the boys, stunned by the fact that he could show them such care after being ready to beat them into a pulp only moments before. She glanced down at her hand, she wasn’t sure that she would be able to do the same and she hung her head in shame at that thought. If she was thinking like that, maybe she was becoming more like the demon, and she felt her eyes burning at that thought. _Was I foolish to think things were getting better? Should I have gone through with leaving?_

“Probably,” Natsu’s cheerful reply to her question broke into her whirling thoughts and blinking back her tears she looked up at him startled to find that he was stood in front of her once more with a broad smile on his face. “But it was worth it,” he added softly as he held out a hand, and with only a slight hesitation she reached out and took it, just to tense as she realised that she’d reached out with her demonic hand.

   With wide eyes, she tried to snatch it back horrified that she had made such a mistake, but before she could, warm hands tightened around her hand refusing to surrender it. Blinking she warily raised her eyes to meet his gaze, startled by the oddly soft expression on his face even as he arched an eyebrow at her in question and she felt her cheeks heating up slightly, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

“Doesn’t it bother you?” She asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper and she couldn’t bring herself to look up at him for fear of what she might see in his expression.

“Your arm?” Natsu asked softly tilting his head to one side with a slight frown, and hesitantly she nodded, giving up on her efforts to pull her hand free when it was clear that he had no intentions of releasing it just yet. “It doesn’t bother me, why should it?”

“But…” She trailed off unsure of what to say. He sounded so honestly confused by her question that she found herself lifting her head without thinking about it, and seeing the same emotion written over his face she tried to explain. “I’m different…”

“So? We’re all different,” Natsu replied with a shrug, his gaze briefly moving to the guild mark proudly displayed on his arm and she followed his gaze before he turned back to look at her, olive eyes alight with a fire that she hadn’t seen before. “Everyone in Fairy Tail is different, I know you’ve not been here long, but even you must’ve realised it by now?”

“I…”

“You’ve got the Ice Princess who can’t stop himself from stripping, Erza who absolutely refuses to wear anything but armour regardless of what she’s doing. Then there’s Lisanna and Elfman who are constantly sporting random body parts at the moment,” Natsu paused as Mira let out a tense giggle at the last one, knowing just how strange it looked when they would suddenly appear with a random animal appendage and he grinned at the reaction for a moment. Then his expression sobered slightly and he continued in a softer tone. “And you’ve got me…my magic is so rare that many people don’t believe I have it, and I’ve lost track of the times people have freaked out because I eat fire.”

   Mira paused at that staring at him with wide eyes. He had always seemed so happy and full of life in the guild, apart from the moments when he was overwhelmed by his father’s disappearance, and yet she could tell that he was telling the truth and she swallowed hard at that realisation. Their situations were different, but the pain and fears they had both been forced to face weren’t that different. However,  while she had stumbled and hidden away from those reactions, Natsu had been meeting them head on, right in front of her, and she felt her eyes welling up again. _I’m not alone. There’s someone else who understands…_ and she hesitated for only a brief moment as she glanced at their joined hands, realising what she needed to do.

“Thank you…” She whispered as she squeezed his fingers, offering him a small smile when he blinked at her, and she was promptly rewarded with his signature grin even as he gently pulled her to her feet although he made no move to release her when she was back on her feet. “Natsu?”

“This isn’t who you are,” Natsu said softly as he squeezed her hand slightly, and she saw that he was studying it without the slightest indication of nerves or disgust before he met her gaze once more. “You’re a member of Fairy Tail. You’re Lisanna and Elfman’s big sister, and one day you’ll be one of the strongest mages in Fiore!”

“No…I…” Mira began to protest, how could he think that for a moment? She hadn’t even been able to try and defend herself against bullies. How on earthland could he believe that she was capable of becoming someone that powerful if she couldn’t handle a group of teenagers?

“Gramps said you’re powerful,” Natsu cut across her protests, grinning when she fell silent unable to do anything but gape at him. He was fairly sure that Makarov had only said that to Macao because he thought no one was listening, having forgotten just how good Natsu’s hearing was, and the Dragon-slayer had no hesitations in sharing it if it meant that Mira could move forward. “And I heard Erza saying that she wanted to test you at some point. Even stupid Laxus looked impressed when he heard what your power was.”

“But…” Mira protested again, trailing off for a moment before her gaze drifted down to her arm. The hated arm that had cost her so much and was still preventing her from having a normal life, and she placed her other hand on it as she added quietly. “I can’t even get rid of this.” Makarov had told her that she would only to be able to progress so far until she learnt to transform at will, and yet nothing she did seemed to cause even the slightest change to it.

“It’s because you’re hiding,” Natsu said softly, finally releasing her hand and she blinked at the sudden loss, drawing the limb protectively against her chest as she finally realised what he had said, and she couldn’t keep the confusion out of her voice as she asked.

“Hiding?” _Of course, I’ve been hiding it. Every time I let people see it situations like this happens._

“I don’t mean your arm. Ever since you arrived you’ve not let anyone see the real you,” Natsu replied, guessing where her thoughts had gone as he watched her clutching the hand tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. “Lisanna told me what you used to be like before all this happened.”

   Mira blinked at that unsure of how she felt about her sister talking to Natsu about her, but she knew how close the pair had become and after everything Lisanna had been through she couldn’t really blame her for needing to talk to someone. Still, it hurt slightly to realise that even her family thought she had changed, and by the sounds of it, they weren’t thrilled by the change, even though rationally she knew it was because they were worried about her. And she had changed, even she knew that. Back before she’d faced the demon that had started all this she had been more outgoing than both her siblings put together, refusing to take any nonsense from people that had thought they need adults to watch over them. _I was strong back then._

“That was a long time ago,” she whispered with a sigh unable to envisage being that person again, but she couldn’t keep the longing out of her voice as she added. “I’ve changed.” She would give anything to go back to being that person, to be the big sister that Elfman and Lisanna could rely on, but as long as this arm remained she couldn’t even begin to try, and she felt her eyes starting to sting once more.

“I know,” Natsu said softly, and she jolted as he stepped forwards once more, unable to react as he reached out and gently grasped her demonic hand holding it with both of his as he met her gaze squarely. “But I think that Mira is still in you somewhere, and when you find her again, everything else will fall into place.’” There wasn't even the slightest trace of uncertainty in his voice, and Mira just stared at him for a long moment, feeling an odd flicker of hope in her chest, and she wondered if he knew just how powerful his words were.

“I…” Mira began nervously before glancing away as she quietly asked. “Do you really believe that?”

“Yes,” Natsu replied instantly, and tears trickled down her cheeks at his reply, and he immediately panicked, easily imaging what the rest of the guild would do to him if they knew he’d made her cry. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry…I…” he babbled, and despite her own turbulent emotions she let out a watery laugh that stopped him in his tracks, and he froze as he realised that she was giving him a watery smile through his tears even as she shook her head at his words.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered before suddenly throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around him, and wide-eyed all he could do was return the hug as he felt her burying her face in his shoulder as she began to weep in earnest. “Thank you…thank you…” she was chanting into his clothes and he frowned in confusion.

“For what?”

“For protecting me, and telling me the words that I didn’t even realise that I needed to hear,” she finally replied as she pulled back to wipe at her tears. Blushing slightly as she realised what she had done but as Natsu looked nearly as red as she felt she didn’t allow it to distract her from what she wanted to say. “It won’t be today, but I’ll try and find that Mira again…” She still wasn’t entirely sure that it was possible, but the mega-watt grin she received for her words bolstered her spirits, and she smiled warmly at him.

“Good.”

   Once she’d wiped her face clear of the evidence of her tears so that she wouldn’t worry her siblings, they turned for home, Natsu not relinquishing his hold on her hand. And while she was nervous at having it on display, twitching slightly whenever she felt eyes falling on it, she made no move to escape realising that if she wanted to keep her word, then she needed to move forward with her head held high. The warmth of his presence at her side, and the odd reassuring glances he would send in her direction were enough to give her the strength to do just that, and for the first time since her powers had developed, she felt that maybe - just maybe her future was no longer constricted to the shadows.

****

Two Months Later:

    The guild fell utterly silent as Mira waltzed into the Guildhall, her usual dreary outfit and concealing cloak nowhere to be seen and a nervous, but no less blinding smile on her face. But the most noticeable difference was that her right arm was bared for the entire world to see, and seeing that she had everyone’s attention she lifted it into the air before frowning in concentration. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as everyone waited with baited breath, and after a long moment, they were rewarded by the sight of her hand slowing losing its demonic appearance until she was left with her own, perfectly normal hand even as happy tears spilt onto her cheeks.

“You did it!” No one else had even begun to react when there was suddenly a pink blur, and Mira staggered back a step as Natsu slammed into her before wrapping his arms around her in a fierce hug. Recovering her balance she swiftly and happily returned the hug, knowing that she would never have got to this stage without him…

   _He had been grounded for a week for his fight, but he had stubbornly refused to let her explain what it had been about or to share the punishment, adding cheekily that he would probably have fought them again at some point anyway. But after that day he had always seemed to be there when she was feeling her lowest, gently encouraging her to move ever forwards even as he diverted attention away from her, even though it often resulted in extra punishments and it had been in the warmth of his actions that she had found her strength._

_In the early hours of the mornings they had met out in the forest to practice her magic, and while Natsu might have had little knowledge about take-over magic, his determination and encouragement had been just what she had needed, and slowly she had begun to make progress. When she tired of trying transformations he had proven to be a willing sparring partner, happily challenging her with enthusiasm, an enthusiasm that she had matched as she realised that her strength was beginning to increase._

   Three days ago she had told him that she wanted to skip their joint practice, sensing that the final transformation was close and wanting to surprise him. She knew that decision had worried him, but he had agreed to give her space as she had promised that she would keep working on it, and she knew that he had been keeping a close eye on her whenever she had been in the guild over the past few days.

“Thank you,” She whispered as she blinked back the memories, smiling brightly at him as he pulled back to peer up at her relief and pride evident in his olive eyes and after a moment he grinned brightly at her.

“You’re welcome,” he managed to whisper back before they suddenly found themselves swamped by the rest of the guild, everyone wanting to share in the celebration as they had hated watching the young Take-over mage suffer. Seeing this Natsu had retreated to give them room, slowly wiggling his way out of the over-excited group hug that was developing and he had been startled when a gentle hand had come to rest on the top of his head.

“You did a good job,” Makarov said softly from his perch on the table that Natsu had backed into, smiling warmly at Natsu as the Dragon-slayer blinked in surprise at both the gesture and praise before shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

“But I didn’t do anything.”

   Makarov shot him a knowing look before springing from the table and heading into the group hug, leaving a confused Natsu to watch after him but after a moment he shook it off. Smiling softly as he caught a glimpse of Mira’s smiling face as she wrapped her arms around Lisanna and Elfman without any sign of the hesitation she had shown before.

_You did it, Mira._


End file.
